“En garde! Fence!”
 
Samuel Gau, founding member and vice president of Shippensburg University’s fencing club, called this two students who were dressed in white, wearing mesh screens over their faces and holding long, narrow swords. A cluster of similarly dressed fencers stood by, cheering and helping keep score.

SU’s fencing club held its first exhibition match in the CUB amphitheater Thursday afternoon.

“We’re trying to get people to know we’re here and make our presence on campus better known” Gau said.

Gau explained the game.

“Two combatants go on opposite sides of a strip, usually around eight by 10 meters or so and they move parallel on that line to try and put touches on their opponent using their blade,” Gau said.
The object is to put touches on your opponent, while still protecting your own body. This makes skillful footwork a must and opens room for strategy.

During their exhibition, matches were played in two styles: foil and epee. In foil style fencing, only the torso counts as a valid target. In epee style fencing, every point on the opponent’s body is a valid target.

“[In Epee style fencing] You hit them on the foot—it counts. You hit them on the mask—it counts,” Gau said.

When asked if fencing was a hard sport for college students to learn, Gau answered no without hesitating. Most students pick up the basics within a month.

Several members of SU fencing club, including Gau, are willing to teach new fencers. Students first learn footwork, before deciding if they want to purchase equipment and continue participating. The sport has a start up cost of about $100, according to Gau.

Joining fencing club comes with opportunities for intercollegiate competition. Last semester, the club participated in its first competition against Wilson College and intends to organize another competition later this semester.

In addition to opportunities for competition and campus involvement, the mystique of fencing is undeniable.

“Fencing, sword play, people watch Starwars. They get into that” Gau said with a chuckle.

SU’s fencing club meets Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m. and Sundays from 5-6:30 p.m. in the group fitness room in the SU rec center. For more information, visit http://clubs.ship.edu/Fencing/.

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